Allium fistulosum L., widely known as the
Welsh onion, is a member of the
onion family,
Alliaceae. The species is very similar in taste and odor to the related garden
onion,
Allium cepa, and hybrids between the two (
tree onions) exist. The Welsh onion, however, does not develop
bulbs, and possesses hollow
leaves and
scapes (
fistulosum means "hollow"). Large varieties of the Welsh onion resemble the
leek, such as the Japanese 'negi', whilst smaller varieties resemble
chives.
Besides Welsh onion, Allium fistulosum is known as 'scallion', 'green onion', 'spring onion' and 'Japanese bunching onion'. It is known in French as 'ciboule', and in Portuguese as cebolinha or cozida. [1] Historically, the Welsh onion was known as the 'cibol'.[2]
The name 'Welsh onion' is a misnomer in modern English, as Allium fistulosum is not indigenous to Wales. "Welsh" preserves the original meaning of the Old English word welisc, or old German 'welsche', meaning "foreign". The species originated in Asia, possibly Siberia or China. Welsh onions are known as ? (simplified?) (pinyin cong) in Chinese, ? or ?? in Japanese (the Japanese transliteration, 'negi', is another term for Welsh onions), and ? ('pa') in Korean.
The Welsh onion is widely used in cooking. It is a particularly important ingredient in Asian cuisine, especially in East and Southeast Asia. It is used in Russia in the spring for adding green leaves to salads. In Japan it is used in miso soup, negimaki (beef and scallion rolls) and in the takoyaki dumpling dish, among others.
